2014 GOP-Dem Platform Comparison
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Transcript of 2014 GOP-Dem Platform Comparison
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8/11/2019 2014 GOP-Dem Platform Comparison
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Final2 14 M aine Republican Platform
HCDC M Commentary 7/12/14
Generat ions
of
Americans havefought
to
preserve
theRe public,ourfreedoms,and the American
w ay
of
life.
W e appreciatea ndhonortheserviceof
active
dutyandreserve military, veterans,
fire
fighters,police officers, sheriffs, first
respondersandEMTs,and allthosewhoserveour
statea ndnation. Todayo urconstitutional republic
is
threatened by a failure to adhere to the
principlesp ut forth in ourfo un ding documents. It is
onlyby restoring the principles of Liberty
that
w e canpreventthemoraland economic
collapsecurrently unfolding.
I. Accomplishments:
A.Enacted
the
largest
tax cut in
Maine history,
cutting$150 millionin the
first
2yearsand $500
million
over4yearsfor job creators and
hardworking
Maine families.
B . Welfare
a.
Prevented
an
expansion
of
we lfare which would
haveresultedin70,000 mo re peopleon the
welfare
rolls;
V
b.Te rminated Main e's statusa s asanctuary state;
c.
Imposed
a
drugtest requirement
fo r
w elfare
recipients
convictedofdrug crimes;
d. Strengthenedpenaltiesforviolationsofwelfare
rules;
e.
Placed
a
5-year
cap on
individuals receiving
welfare benefits.
C.Budget
a.Paid $500 million ow ed
to
Ma ine Hospitals
fo r
previousun paid w elfare debt;
b. ReducedMaine'sunfunded pension liabilities
by
$1.7billion
(41%)
toprotect the benefitso f
ou r
state workers;
c.Proposed balanced budgets that
did not
include
ta x increases
fo r
hardw ork ing Maine
families.
D .
Econom ic Development
a.HostedRe dTape W orkshops across thestate
with
over 1,000
jo b
creators
to
streamline
Maine 's
burdensome regulatory system;
And
w h at
o f
teachers, nurses , physicians ,
carpenters, truckers, construction w orkers, etc. etc.
etc.?
W hy are all
those mentioned those
w ho defend
or
represent authority? It'sprobably the fighting
metaphor rather than, say, a building or
creating metaphor.
Here, additionally,
is the
injunction
o f
threats, fear,
an d
the
specter
of
failure.
More
raisingofthreatand fear.
Mostof itwentto thew ealthy;the
hard
workers
got
$16 each. Now w ell established that the job
creators
were
and
are,
in
fact,
the
middle class
withmoney to spend. The w ealthy invest less but
trade securities more
They're talking here about denying healthcareto
70,000
Mainers. He alth care
is a
right,
n ot
w elfare.
Ignores real economic benefit
of
accepting
the $.
No evidence exists that we w ere one (plus
demonization of the poor)
More feara ndthreat anddemonizationof the poor
Repetition of word 'welfare' plays to the GOP base,
demonizes the poor, and conveniently ignores that
'promoting
the general welfare ' w as one of the six
itemized purposes
for the
U.S. Constitution
Again, hea lth care sho uld be a right, not we lfare
A travesty. Whacked
the
pensionfunds
and
reduced
benefits contracted fo rw ith people w hoserved th e
public theirwhole
lives.
Un ethical disrespect
for
people
and
contracts.
Obliged
by l w
to dothis.But for thelegislature
rejecting the Governor's
budget,LePage's
proposalswould have
increased
local taxes
dramatically.
Most regulations impose constraints to achieve
public bene fits. Aga in,the job creators rhetoric.
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b.
W hile protectingou renvironment, passed
regulatory reform
ensuring Maine
is
business
friendly.
c.Passed free
marKeTrieaffh7insurance
reform,
without
government intervention, driving down
thecostofhealth insurancefor Maine familiesand
businesses.
Throughtheabove accomplishments, Maine's
unemploymentratedecreasedto the
lowest
level
since
2008.
n.
Th is platform
emb races principles and identifies
actions
toimplement them.
A .W e
proclaim allegiance
to the
Constitutions
of
theUnited States (U.S.) and theStateof Maine.
B.TheConstitutions, boththeU.S.andStateof
Maine,
are the
framework
to
which
all
legislation
m ust adhere. Progressive principles
areincompatible
w ith
theprinciplesof The
Republican
Partyof theStateofMaine.Inorder to
define the
specific policies encompassed
by
saidcon stitutionalprinciples,and tobuildon the
previouslystated accomplishments,be it
resolved:
T J The
government
of
Maine exists
to
preserve
and
protect certain natura l, inherent
a nd
inalienable
rights endowed
by our
Creator
for the
benefit, protection
and
security
of all
citizens
and
future
generations.
To
m aintain this doctrine
the
U. S. and
M aine Constitutions
are the
framework
to
which
all
legislation must conform:
A. D efend the
individual's right
to
keep
and
bear
armsasguaranteedby theMaine andU.S.
Constitutions;
B. D efend
state's rightsasreserved in theTenth
Amendment
to the
U .S. Constitution;
C.
DefendthesovereigntytheUnitedStates.
IV .T hestrengthofMaineand the United States lies
withth e
rights
andresponsibilitiesof the
individual:
A .
The
expression
of
religious
faith
must
not be
excluded
from
the
pub lic forum;
LikeLePage'sattempt
to gut
minin g regulations
regulatory reform ensuring Maine is business
friendly;
and keep chemicals inplastics??A nd
appointacorporate lobb yisttoheadtheD EP??And
advancetheproposed East West Corridor??
Itdrovethecost
down
for a few(yng&hlthy)but
raised
it
dram atically
fo r
older, rural, less
hlthy
patrons. Free market (read pro fit generating) is
exactly thewrongw ay to go. Markets don 't w ork in
health
care.
False.
It is
still
.4 %
higher than
the
start
of2008.
And wehavethelowestjobcreationratein the
nation.
This
is
something
we can
agree
on.
This soun s goodbut ignores the
effects
of
SCOTUS'
fundamental alteration of electoral
politics in the nation by C itizens United and
McCutcheon.
Incompatible, if GOP says so, but it reads T eddy
Roosevelt out of the Republican Party. Progressive
means making progress. Why is the ME GOP
opposed to it?
Actually,
this is not the w ay Ma ine's constitution
reads; this is an inaccurate statement. No w here does
it
say that the rights are
endowed
by our Creator
save for Section 3 of A rticle 1 w hich add resses
religious freedom. A surprising alteration.
T he
right
to
bear arms plays
to the GOP
base
but it
issurprisingto see it andStates'Rights cited first,
andw ithout mentioning freedom
of
speech,
religion,
or the
press
or to due
process,etc.
Again,noargument,butdoesthisinclude defending
the sovereignty of the U.S. against mu lti-nationa l
corporations when applying provisions offreetrade
treaties acting against our ow n self-governance?.
Or
maybe it 's
the
fa mily (see
VIE
below).
A n
expression of
me
vs.
we
Does this mean Christians have free rein? Wh at of
the
beliefs
of
others? Separation
of
church
&
state?
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B. The profits of an
individual's
efforts an d
accumulation ofprivate property belongto the
individual;
C.
Supportth eassimilationoflegal immigrants into
Mainesociety;
D.A ffi rmEnglishas theofficial language of the
StateofMaine.
V .
Capitalismand thefree market system encourage
individual initiative
and a
prosperous economy:
A .Economic prosperityisachievedb ypromoting
investment ,
stability,
and a
positive business
climate;
B .
Enact RighttoWork laws that stimulate
economicgrowth;
C.HealthCareis
bes't
providedthrough
free
market
solutions;
D.
Ownership
of
private property
is
fundamental
to
libertyand a strong
economy;
E.Implementacomprehensive energy policy that
removes
government obstacles andreduces
th e
cost
of
energy
fo r
Maine families
and
businesses.
VI.
The
most effective government
is
closest
to the
people
and theleast intrusive:
A .Federalization
of the
Maine Woods will
not be
tolerated;
B.MunicipalHome Ruleis to beencouraged and
respected;
C.
Maine's colleges
and
universities should
b e
marketplacesofideas whereany individual's
poli t icalandreligious beliefsmay beexpressed and
shallberespected;
D.
Individualsareresponsible fo r
decisions
affecting
their lives
and
well-being;
E.W elfare is asafety-netforMaine's most
vulnerable;
F.Supporttherestorationoflocalcontrol in
education
asspecifiedin theMaine Constitution;
This plays
to
greed,
but it
also reflects
a
"me"
orientation which contrasts withthenotion that
society
is
strongest when
all are
part
of a
"we."
C D playto afearofchangeanduneasiness with
diversity
Yes,
but the
thirty year trajectory
o f
dramatically
increasing income andwealth inequalityis,among
other things, hollowingout themiddle class.
Again ,
inequality begets instability,and apositive
business climate must alsobe aresponsibleone
Thisis ananti-labor stance, encourages union
busting,and itsadvance overt heyearsh as
contributedto theweakened middle class.
We
emphatically disagree
and
point
to the
tremendous savings which could accrue
from
excising
profitfrom health
care. Free
market
doesn't worki nhealthcare.
Degree
and
balance here
are
important.
An
"I've
gotmine, sorry,th edoorisclosed toyou" mentality
weakens
society
Nothing here about environment lcost? Colossal
omission Short-term savingsvs.longterm resource
depletion
and
environmental degradation.
Arguably, this
is
inherently self-contradictory
and
demonstrably wrong. Some things (defense
and
healthcare finance)can 't bedone locally
So
much
for
anyone'sproperty rights
if
they choos
to giveit up fo r anational park
Unless,as wehave seen,thegovernor wantsto end
revenue sharing . . .
Evenif itignores science, orlogic, isdefamatory
hatespeech??
So
does
that mean
the GOP is for
marriage equality
bir thcontrol,and awoman's choicetoterminatea
pregnancy?
Weagree Butdefine vulnerable.
Wherehas it been
eroded?
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a.
Parents have therightand responsibility to
educate the ir children;
Where
is the
broaderpublic'sright
to assure
that
it s done
so the
young
a re
prepared
fo r
citizenship?
b. The best academic opportunities are made
possible through educationalchoice;
c.
Common Core State Standards (CCSS) must
be
re-evaluated with respect to local control, data
mining
o f
personal information,
and
curriculum;
G.
Protect local food rights
and
policies;
H.En sure the integrity of the election process.
VII.T he family is the
foundation
and
strength
of a
stable society; therefore the government should
not interfere,
but
rather support
an d
protect
the
integrity
and rights of the family:
A .Promote Family values;
B .Marriage
is
defined
as the
union
of one man and
one
woman;
C.Parents-
not
government- aremost capableand
responsible
to
m ake decisions
in the
best
interesto f their minor children, including medical,
disciplinaryan d educational decisions;
D .
We
believe
in the
sanctity
of
human
life-
from
conception to
natural death;
E. D iscontinue using state taxes
to fund
abortion
or
activities that run counter to the sanctity of
life;
F.Supp ort faith-based family resources.
VITI.Fiscal restra int
and
accountability
for all
levels
of
government
is
paramount:
A.Work
to
reduce spending
at all
levels
of
government,state, county
and
local
to
ensure fiscal
stability
and
m inimal debt
for future
generations;
B. Through sound fiscal managem ent reduce the
Maine tax bu rden, including fees;
C.Institute zero based bu dgeting in all programs
and require
the
government
and all
agencies
adhere to the Generally A ccepted A ccounting
Principles (GAAP).
Nonsense. Treating public education
as if its
purpose was to
satisfy
parental markets misses its
larger civic purpose.
How do we
all protect against
the
lowest common
denominator?
OK
Here weagree
No
study
ha s
shown that integrity
is
lacking. This
is
a scare tactic.
Is family even mentioned in the founding
documents? ndividuals have rights, not families.
Sociologically
family as foundation may be true,
but phrased this wa y it is a nod to authoritarian
structures and principles
A nd
thesea re
exactly what?
'Daddy
knows
best??'
This
is a
settled m atter
in
Maine
an d
nation.
N o
return
to
marriage inequality.
A n
authoritarian stance. Ignores benefits
of
health
for
others.
Legitimizes
violence
toward children
D & E are ananti-woman stance.Howdoes this
apply when a child is born into poverty given the
GOP antagonism to w hat they call 'welfare'?
So
charity
is to
come from churches.
A nd
what
then
is the
role
of
government
in
'promoting
the
general welfare ??
Paramount? Even
in
t imes
of deep
recession
or
environmental
or
national threat? Sometimes
th e
wraps ofrestraint haveto betaken off -
environmental disasters, economic collapse,
war . . .
and, by the way, Democrats support fiscal
responsibility,
too
This means shrinkage of government functions,
trying
to
make government
go
awa y. Self
government means
we get to
decide what
to do, not
that
we
have
no
government
at all it
does nothing.
The
Maine
GOP has
been successful
at
this with
the
result being
the
budgetcrises
w e
continue
to
face
a s
real needs
confront
us
(e.g., roads, schools, health
cai_,
etc.)we do nothave theresources to serve.
In principle, yes. Those
who
have experienced
ZB B
doubt it is a panacea. A gain Maine D ems support
fiscal responsibility.
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D M o v i n g
forward
Maine Republicans support
the
following
initiatives:
A.Weencourageal lRepublican candidates tosign
thetaxpayer Protection Pledge
andopposeany and
al l
efforts
to
increase taxes
and
fees;
B .Reducing
th e
regulations
and
processes that have
a nega tive impact and place un due burd en on
private
enterprise;
C.
Ensure environmental regulations
are
based upo n
sound science and recognize the value of Maine's
outdoorheritage;
D. Conform
the state tax code to the federal tax
code to a chieve fairnessa ndequity;
E.
Repealthe
Affordable
Care Act (Obama Care)
and
all initiated
com ponents;
F. Ma nd atory min imum sentences to protect the
innocent
and thevictimsof crime;
G. The
Office
of
Program Evaluation
&
Government
A ccountabi l i ty (OPEGA), M aine 's
governmentalo versight agency and its mission to
achieveeffective and
efficient
state government;
H .A llstatequasi -governmen tautho rities mustbe
held
accountableto thestate legislaturea nd
the governor;
I.
Legislation that requires photo identification to
vote in the StateofM aine;
Starving needed governm ent fun ction s only hurts us
all by w ha t is cut, increases stress, and m akes
government much more contentious. Seriously
impedes flexibility.
Regulations protect us from f inanc ia lf raud,
environm ental poisons, in sure properly built roads
andculverts, etc. etc. Private enterprise mustbe
responsible,
no t
just
an
instrument
fo r
priv ate greed
We
agree,
butunderthe GOP it's tendedto be
w hatever business w ants , notwhat'sbest for all
We
agree
Isn't this what's already done? If not, we agree.
Absolutely no t
We're
not going back, only forw ard
to getting
profit
out of the system a nd m ovin g to
singlepayer, i.e., med icare
fo r
all.
Simplistic and naive . There are practical
difficulties, propo rtionalities to consider in
sentencing, apparent racism,
and the
consequences
of a system that has 2.2 MILLION incarcerated in
America (25% o f theworld'sincarcerated with5 %
of the population). This kind o f proposal removes
discretion fromjudges
to
prosecutors.
B ad
idea
Who canargue,but thepredecessoragency usedto
be where good plan ning was being done that was
valued by municipalities, and it 's still needed.
J.
Secure
the U . S.
borders
in
accordance with
current
Federal law .
No argument, again .
Not
needed;
a
"solution"
to a
non -existent problem
and
a transparent
effort
to shrin k the vote of those
considered undesirable
electors.
Fortress America. Discom fort with diversity.
For too ma ny years, Am ericans have trusted that
our
elected
officials
were working
to
protect
and defend our interests. W ithout persistent
vigilanceby thepeople, this trusti s often
misplaced. It istherefore incumbenton all of us to
stayinformed and involvedin the American
experimentof
selfgovernance. Those
of us who
Except
thatma n yofthese items listed w ould mo ve
Americabackwards ,n ot forw ards. Those o f us who
This last rings the bells of threat, fear, misplaced
trust,
and
separation
of the
"me" from "we"
but it
alsohas a'ring'oftruthtMt.E.g.,NSA s
systematically inv ad ing the priva cy of everyone.
And
corporations
h ve
come to control h uge swa ths
ofg overnmen t policy. Further, i t should be noted
that thereseemsto be afundamenta l
misunderstanding
of our
"experiment
in
self-
governance." M any of the thing s we believe about
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have
uni tedbehindtheRepublican banner invite
you
to
join
us in
this task
and
support
th e
Republican
candidates
fo roffice
that uphold these
principles.
M AYGOD
BLESSAMERICA
ourgovernment are, infact,not so.Theyare
concepts
we
derivefrom
th e
Declaration
or the
Gettysburg Address,but are notembedded in the
Constitution,adocument originally conceivedby
and forwhite, male, property owners interestedin
so-called freeenterprise. Itlegitimized slaveryand
left
womenoutaltogether.Thatwehave advanced
so far
beyond that (progressed
is the
proper word,
but ME
Republicans line themselves
u p
against
it
is afunction o fstruggle, war, murder, persistencei n
th efaceoffierce opposition, plusth ecapacityfor
th e
applicationoftreasure (thatthesteep declineof
graduated income taxeshasmade moreandmore
difficult
in thelast thirty years). Progress fo r llo f
us, the we, is notincompatiblewith self-
governance
but the
impetus whichimpels
it. By its
anti-government
-
rather thanright sized
government- stanceand itsrefusaltoallowany
restoration
o f
revenues
it has
been responsible
fo r
shrinkingthis past generation, Maine's
GOP has
trumpeted- andbaldly admittedinthis campaign
document
-
that
it
actually opposes
our
progress
as
astateandnation.